Heavenly Father really will prepare a way

Well, this week has been great. Hope you guys got some of the pictures
of the bootaki (parties) they had a roasted pig on a platter, which
you don't always see every day, so I had to get a picture.
Work here in bikenibeu is so great. Just like betio. so many houses.
so many good people. Even though there's some people who don't really
want to talk at all. THere's still a lot of good people. Some are
friendly, some are very prepared to hear the gospel and respond.
Working with Elder G is way awesome as well. It's like being
with family, cause he was trained by my MTC companion. I think we make
a pretty great team! We've seen a lot of cool blessings this week. We
accomplished one of our goals for our teaching pool, so that was cool.
Just like you and dad have always taught us about setting goals. now
I'm beginning to see the genius in it. And also how if we're really
committed to righteous goals Heavenly Father really will prepare a way
if it's His will for us to accomplish them.
We ran into a guy I saw in butaritari and even set up a time for
dinner with him, so that was cool. We learned a ton of stuff this week
in our tracting efforts. Definitely refined some of our tracting
techniques. Also church was way good yesterday! we had the chance to
talk in sacrament meeting which was awesome. And tons of people were
there! Which we think is on account of many reasons, especially
members going out and doing ministering lately to less actives. It
really works! Well, any way. I've kind of been studying some hymns
lately, memorizing them. Very useful. I reccomend it, it can help
stregthen us through the day. Well love you all! Have a good week.
Thanks for the prayers they're so helpful! They really do help tons!
WEll tia bo! - Elder SEffker

CHurch here is 3 hours, 1 or 2 on outer islands

Dear Mom,
that's way good to hear that you got the pictures!!!
I sent some more so hopefully you get them! That's good to hear that
it's going pretty good with the family and with church and stuff. Man
that's lots of responsibilities at church but I'm sure you'll be
blessed and I'm sure you'll have lots of growth as you fulfill them
through His help! Man way to go with the dog, haha, nice example of
perserverance.
Everyone's pictures look way good! Scott's hair is pretty cool, and
outfit. Everyone's looking sharp. Johnny seems to be gaining a bit of
height. Everyone is very picturesque.
Well, I'm running a bit short on time again sorry, but some stuff that
happened this week: I transfered to bikenibeu 2nd west and so we had a
baptism this saturday. It was a really good experience. The old lady
has a son on a mission which is awesome so now she's baptized. There
are some pictures of bootakis. Sorry I don;'t have much time but I'll
let the pictures tell the stories sorry!!! General authority came.
CHurch here is 3 hours, 1 or 2 on outer islands love yoU!!!!

The conference went awesome. I had the opportunity to translate

Mauri O kaain te utu!!!!
Everything has been good this week! It's been pretty cool. We've had
mission tour coming up so we've had elders coming in from the outer
islands. Us 8 packed in our house. They came in from Tab North. That's
where I worked as my second area. It was cool to be able to see those
elders and catch up about how everyone is doing in tab north. Sounds
like everything has been doing pretty good up there. The branch
presidents are doing great. The work is going good. The ward members
are doing great.
SO we had stake conference this week. It was pretty awesome. We had
the temple president, his wife, and the area seventy come. They came
from fiji and tahiti. The conference went awesome. I had the
opportunity to translate. It was pretty awesome. It's a bit of a
challenge cause you want to listen to yourself to see how your english
sentences are going but you can't or you'll miss what's being said in
kiribati. You kind of just have to focus really hard on the gilbertese
being spoken and then you just say what they're saying in english but
you can't say it too loud or you won't be able to hear what's being
said in kiribati. All in all it was a success I'd say. It was pretty
awesome. I'm sure I'll get better at it even with practise. It kind of
takes a different mindset, you can't think about it too much. Any way,
we wore the headset and translated for senior couples who had
earphones. We don't get much opportunity to do it, so it was cool to
be able to do it.
So I'm transfering to the area jsut west of me, still in the same
ward. SO that's awesome. I get to meet the other half of the ward.
We've heard some really good talks and stuff and examples of
ministering. I'm pretty excited to be able to serve in our awesome
area. Exspecially cause my new companion is way awesome as well. We're
pretty similar. he reminds me a lot of myself when I first came. He's
also seems wayyyyy willing to just work as hard as he can and be the
best missionary he can, so I'm really excited for that as well. His
name is elder G. He also is with the marines. He's on an 8 year
contract with the marines or something like that. However he explain
that a generel authority talk about how not to define yourself as
anything, a marine, whatever, but as a child of God. Which is a really
good lesson. It's way true. We're all children of God. And we need to
make sure that's what really defines us. Cause having that kind of
perspective is a more eternal perspective.
We've had some really good lessons this week and stuff going on. Heard
some good stories, testimonies. I'm gonna be sending some more
pictures as well. I'll share the folder with you. Well thanks again
for everything! Love you mom! Love you family! You guys are all
looking way sharp in the pictures! Congratulations emmie on being
baptized! The Holy Ghost is the greatest gift in this life! Your
definitely blessed to be able to have it's companionship as you strive
to be worthy throughout your life. It will help you with everything
and will strengthen you everyday as you follow Jesus Christ!
Well, love you all! - ELder SEffker

we don't have to be perfect to do our best

Crazy enough I was actually reading that quote you sent this morning.
From president Oaks talk in the last conference.
Well, we had the great blessing of seeing N at church and T.
N was finally able to be ready to come to church!!!!
13 missionaries gave their departing/going home talk to the
missionaries yesterday. We've got missionconference coming up in a
week. Very exciting. President L explained that even though we
won't be perfect, we don't have to be perfect to do our best. Doing
our best will entail making mistakes as well.
It's important that we work to repent and progress little by little.
Well, I shared those pictures with you so you should have permission
now from the site to open them.
Well, how's the ward doing? We just had ward conference here. There
were some really good speakers. The theme was "feed my sheep". We've
got stake conference next week.
We had like 13 missionaries give their farewell talk to the
missionaries, they're going home soon. Man, next time it's gonna be me
saying by. We've some some huge transfers coming in, maybe I'll train.
Who nows. There are like 14 missionaries coming in in september.
Thanks for the example! Have a good week! Well, love you so much! Love you all!!
- ELder SEffker

amazing the doctrine

Mauri!!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Things are going alright here! Me and my comp are just working to work
hard and get as much work as we can in. There have been a few
struggles this week, but we've seen lots of blessings! Some cool
things that have happened this week are: Our ward is doing a big
family home evening, this week it got planned, it's happening today.
So that should be awesome for the ward and also investigators and less
actives who come.
A guy from the stake came to our ward and helped out and also directed
the creating of a list for who is going to minister to who. It's
really amazing the doctrine of ministering. The principles really are
real, fundamental principles. Like listening and then determining
needs by the Spirit.
Any way, sorry my time is short. I sent a few pictures. We found a
really awesome guy this week with a beautiful family. Jehovahs
witness. He's really interested in our lessons, or at least he's
really open to them and willing to lesson. I don't think he's actually
a member of jehovahs witness yet.
Any way, his name is T. 
Sorry I'd tell you more but my time's almost up. We went to the museum
today. ENjoy the pics.! Love you all!!
Btw, please mom send me all the pictures of the women of our family,
cause there are these traditional kiribati shirts I'm hoping to get
made and they'll know the size to make it from the pictures you send.
Thank you!! Just like you, hilary, kary anne, grandmas even, ashley
and all the little girls down. Thanks you!!!!! - ELder SEffker

God's power is stronger than the power of satan

Week has been pretty good. We've seen lots of blessings and miracles.
Yeah N is awesome, he and T came to church this week! Yeah
little by little, they're doing great. We got talking about who
Jehovah was in our lesson, and then that got us talking about
different religions, and then that got us talking about the religion
"the water" that gave N a blessing for the stroke that left half
of his body slightly paralyzed. Turns out the blessing did work after
all, a little bit, not completely though. That's what confused me, I
wondered how someone not having the Priesthood could give a blessing
and for it to actually bless someone. After he received the blessing
he was able to talk and walk. So that's what confused me. But then as
they explained it further, we realized it was most likely due to black
magic. That's kind of something that I've learned recently more so. If
it's God's Priesthood, it's God's power, if it's not, it's simply not
God's power. If it's by some other power that's not God's Priesthood,
it's really the devil's power. We had a similar thing happen in
Butaritari. But yeah, my comp Elder I asked about it in that
case, how was someone not possessing Priesthood power able to perform
an effective blessing, and our mission President explained that there
is power of the devil and he can use it to lead people away. I'm so
grateful to be able to hold God's true restored Priesthood, and I know
it really is His power. I also know that God's power is stronger than
the power of satan. It's a great security in our world today where
there's so much evil.
So yeah, we had the opportunity to give N a blessing, cause he
asked for one, he's been in his condition for the last ten years I
believe. We were also able to give their kid a blessing for his
sickness.
A is not yet baptized, but on his way, he's been really faithful
to his commitments, so we going to do the interview this week. His mom
and dad just work a lot, but we were able to meet them already. We'll
try to get a time with them soon. They're really nice as well.
Some other cool things we saw this week: we did a bit of tracting and
were able to meet a few people that seem prepared. One guy was like
"this book is really different", he'd found a book of mormon in his
security booth. We also found this one guy that had only one lesson
from missionaries before but then didn't make contact with them, but
is interested in our message.
Any way, this really is God's work, even though we're not perfect, if
we try hard to improve each day, Heavenly Father will make use of our
efforts in performing His work here on earth.
Well, thanks again! Love you all!!! Thanks for the prayers and
everything and support. have a good week!!! -Elder Seffker

Spirit was felt a lot stronger

Well, this week has been pretty good. We meet lots of less actives.
We've got a few investigators that are doing pretty awesome. It's so
cool how the gospel and power of Jesus Christ and also the whisperings
of the Spirit can bring about such change in peoples lives and such
good. There was this one guy, N, he shaved his beard cause he
wanted to look cleaner for church. He looks way clean. His wife,
T, has been recognizing the whisperings of the Spirit in her life
and is finding lots of joy in knowing and living the truths of the
gospel. She's seeing how repentance is real, and how she can receive
forgiveness of sins. N has also made lots of good change. Their
house used to be a little smelly haha, and dirty but we walked in a
few days ago and it was clean and smelled good and the Spirit was felt
a lot stronger.
It's cool how we were able to see blessing in the lives of people and
in our area even though we aren't perfect missionaries, and we have
many struggles as well even though we're trying always for
improvement.
We got to see Priesthood power in effect as this lady that lives next
to us called us out at 4 am to give her very old mother a blessing. We
gave her a blessing, then next day turns out that she was totally good
after the blessing she was able to be comforted and then feel asleep.
Her daughter, she's also old like 50 years old, didn't originally know
what the problem was, but she decided to read from the book of mormon,
asked the old lady which verse she like, and the old lady pointed her
to a verse that talk about how "I want to gather my people before I
die". That was apparently her problem, she wanted to be with her kids
before she passed, but they hadn't come yet.
Well, some other cool things that happened this week, we've got a guy
named Anaree preparing for baptism. He's doing pretty good. He's 16 I
think, his uncle wants him to be baptized, we're trying to get with
the parents as well.
Well, have a good week! Love you mom! Love you family! - ELder SEffker
PS happy birthday to E and j this month